HUD Fair Market Rent · FY 2027 · Effective Oct 1, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027
Fair Market Rent in Nelson County, Virginia (FY 2027)
$1,642 a month. That's HUD's FY 2027 Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Nelson County, and it's the baseline every voucher in Nelson is measured against.
Two-bedroom FMR
$1,642
-10.0% from FY 2026
Payment standard
$1,478–$1,806
90% to 110% of the FMR, two-bedroom
Income to afford
$65,680
a year, with rent at 30% of income
Rank in Virginia
48th of 133
by two-bedroom FMR, highest first
FY 2027 Fair Market Rents
Payment standard is the 90% to 110% band a housing authority can set. Income needed puts rent at 30% of gross income, and the hourly wage assumes a 40-hour week.
| Bedrooms | FMR | Payment standard | Income needed | Hourly wage | vs FY 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,279 | $1,151–$1,407 | $51,160 | $24.60/hr | -10.0% |
| 1 bedroom | $1,442 | $1,298–$1,586 | $57,680 | $27.73/hr | -10.0% |
| 2 bedroom | $1,642 | $1,478–$1,806 | $65,680 | $31.58/hr | -10.0% |
| 3 bedroom | $1,997 | $1,797–$2,197 | $79,880 | $38.40/hr | -10.0% |
| 4 bedroom | $2,458 | $2,212–$2,704 | $98,320 | $47.27/hr | -10.0% |
Five to eight bedrooms (PropMetrics estimates)
HUD stops at four bedrooms. These add 15% of the four-bedroom rent per extra bedroom. It's our estimate, not a HUD number.
| Bedrooms | Estimated FMR | Payment standard |
|---|---|---|
| 5 bedroom Estimate | $2,827 | $2,544–$3,110 |
| 6 bedroom Estimate | $3,195 | $2,876–$3,515 |
| 7 bedroom Estimate | $3,564 | $3,208–$3,920 |
| 8 bedroom Estimate | $3,933 | $3,540–$4,326 |
Source: HUD Office of Policy Development and Research, FY 2027 Fair Market Rents. Rents include utilities. huduser.gov
Market check
HUD's number is one input. What does a two-bedroom in Nelson actually rent for?
Search any address in Nelson for a rent estimate built from nearby comps, with the HUD figure right next to it.
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What a voucher pays here
The voucher doesn't pay the FMR itself. It pays the payment standard. Housing authorities set it anywhere from 90% to 110% of FMR, which puts a two-bedroom standard in Nelson somewhere between $1,478 and $1,806. The tenant pays roughly 30% of their income, the voucher covers the rest up to the standard, and the PHA won't approve a rent above what comparable unassisted units get.
$1,642 a month is affordable, by HUD's 30% rule, on an income of roughly $65,680 a year. Put another way, $32 an hour full time.
Worked example for a two-bedroom renting at the payment standard. The tenant pays 30% of monthly income and the voucher covers the rest.
| Monthly household income | Tenant pays (30%) | Voucher pays at 90%$1,478 | Voucher pays at 100%$1,642 | Voucher pays at 110%$1,806 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $750 | $728 | $892 | $1,056 |
| $4,000 | $1,200 | $278 | $442 | $606 |
Rate history
The two-bedroom rate went down 10% from FY 2026 ($1,824) to FY 2027 ($1,642). Since FY 2020 it's up 30% in total, about 3.8% a year. The Virginia median moved up 1% over the same year.
| Fiscal year | Studio | 1 BR | 2 BR | 3 BR | 4 BR | 2BR change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY 2020 | $854 | $1,082 | $1,262 | $1,573 | $1,942 | — |
| FY 2021 | $949 | $1,077 | $1,266 | $1,575 | $1,965 | +0.3% |
| FY 2022 | $1,024 | $1,063 | $1,264 | $1,562 | $1,959 | -0.2% |
| FY 2023 | $1,165 | $1,172 | $1,401 | $1,742 | $2,159 | +10.8% |
| FY 2024 | $1,392 | $1,415 | $1,678 | $2,114 | $2,608 | +19.8% |
| FY 2025 | $1,404 | $1,487 | $1,729 | $2,155 | $2,621 | +3.0% |
| FY 2026 | $1,421 | $1,602 | $1,824 | $2,218 | $2,731 | +5.5% |
| FY 2027In effect | $1,279 | $1,442 | $1,642 | $1,997 | $2,458 | -10.0% |
About this rate
Fair Market Rent is HUD's estimate of what a modest, decent unit rents for in an area, utilities included. It's set once a year and runs October to September. For FY 2027 that's October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. In Nelson, that runs from $1,279 for a studio up to $2,458 for four bedrooms, all five rates in the table above.
This is a metro rate. The county doesn't get one of its own. HUD lumps Nelson in with 4 other counties in the Charlottesville metro, Albemarle County, Charlottesville city, Fluvanna County among them, and every one of them gets $1,642 for a two-bedroom. Where you are inside the metro doesn't change the county number. It does change the ZIP number, covered below.
Among Virginia's 133 counties, Nelson ranks 48th for two-bedroom FMR. That's about 30% above the state median of $1,262 and about 54% above the national median county at $1,063. About 14,732 people live here, 100th in the state.
Rates by ZIP code
HUD also publishes Small Area FMRs by ZIP code. For the 14 ZIP codes it covers in Nelson, the two-bedroom rate is $1,650 across the board, so there's no ZIP-level story here.
| ZIP | City | 2BR rate | vs county |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22920 | Afton | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22922 | Arrington | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22938 | Faber | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22949 | Lovingston | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22958 | Nellysford | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22964 | Piney River | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22967 | Roseland | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22969 | Schuyler | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22971 | Shipman | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 22976 | Tyro | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 24464 | Montebello | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 24553 | Gladstone | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 24581 | Norwood | $1,650 | +0.5% |
| 24599 | Wingina | $1,650 | +0.5% |
Counties sharing the Charlottesville metro rate
HUD sets one rate for the whole metro, so every county here carries the same $1,642 two-bedroom figure as Nelson.
Nearby counties
Two-bedroom FMR, with how each compares to Nelson.
Amherst County
19 mi · 31,485 people
$1,117
-32%
Waynesboro city
21 mi · 22,841 people
$1,199
-27%
Albemarle County
23 mi · 114,919 people
$1,642
same rate
Buena Vista city
26 mi · 6,593 people
$1,057
-36%
Rockbridge County
27 mi · 22,531 people
$1,057
-36%
Buckingham County
28 mi · 16,976 people
$943
-43%
Charlottesville city
28 mi · 45,437 people
$1,642
same rate
Staunton city
28 mi · 25,948 people
$1,199
-27%
Questions people ask
$1,642 a month for FY 2027, which runs October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The other rates are $1,279 for a studio, $1,442 for one bedroom, $1,997 for three and $2,458 for four.
Tools for this county
Fair Market Rent lookup
Any ZIP code's Small Area FMR by bedroom count
Section 8 rent calculator
Payment standard and tenant share for a specific rent
What is Fair Market Rent?
How HUD calculates FMR and what it means for landlords
Rent affordability calculator
The income a household needs for a given rent
What does a rental in Nelson actually go for?
HUD's number is one input. Search any address in Nelson for a rent estimate built from nearby comps. Free to start, no card.
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